It Can Only Get Better
by I'S Watcher
Summary: After Albus Potter was sorted into Slytherin, his life changed. For now he is just a sixteen year old boy, in a family who doesn't understand him. A 'what if Albus was sorted into Slytherin' story. Slytherin!Albus Ravenclaw!Lily. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

It Can Only Get Better

By I'S Watcher

Hi there. Yeah, you. Welcome to my latest story. It doesn't actually look as if I have posted any stories before. But I have. I had to take them down, but I'll repost them. One day. I'll probably have to rewrite them before I do though. I don't really finish many of my stories. So. Don't get your hopes up. I have a chapter right in the middle of the story if that helps...

Anyway, this story features a properly Slytherin Albus Potter. When I say properly Slytherin I mean that he is like the Slytherins that you see in Marauder fics or Harry & co fics. If you don't like it. Don't read. And before you ask no it won't be slash. Albus might even become dark. Or practise dark magic at least. I'll figure it out later.

So just to give you a taster of what is to come, I give you, It Can Only Better- the Prologue.

Oh and, they aren't spelling mistakes, they're British spelling. Also, it's going to be Albus centric.

* * *

Prologue

"Albus dear, come over here and give your grandmother a kiss!" A large ginger woman called to him from the corner of the room. He gritted his teeth and moved towards her.

"Hello granny." He said after depositing a kiss on the cheek.

"So. How is my little Albie? School okay?" Albus nodded.

"Yeah it's okay."

"Shame you were put in Slytherin, you would have been such a perfect Gryffindor. You know you look just like your father when he was your age."

"You've told me..." But she continued without noticing the sarcasm in his voice.

"Who is in Slytherin? Remind me again."

"Er. Tom Nott, Felicity Greengrass, Laura Flint, George Borgin, Scopious Malfoy, Harry Fulrick, Lucinda Nott..." He trailed off, not really wanting to name any of the other sons and daughters of former Death Eaters he was in a house with.

"That Scorpious is nice, isn't he?" Albus swallowed, and although it pained him he said the words which would please his grandmother.

"Yeah. Nice."

"So unlike his family. He'll grow up to be a fine wizard."

"I'm sure." Looking around the smoky room he attempted to find a way to escape his maniac grandmother. "Listen. I er, have to go to the loo."

"Of course, of course." She dug her hands into the pockets of her old dress which had been made larger to allow for her now larger size. From the pocket she pulled out a shiny coin and handed it to him, her large fingers clasping onto it. "Here you go."

"Thanks granny." He took it elegantly from her fingers and moved away from her quick so as to not let her hug him again. One sickle. Obviously she had forgotten that it was not 1978 and was pretty worthless. But money was money nevertheless.

Heading in the direction off the loos so as to not raise suspicion of his grandmother he gave a wink to his older brother, who was looking at him with minor suspicion. His brother rushed towards him.

"Where are you going?" Albus smiled and continued walking to the hall.

"Nowhere."

"Well. You're obviously going somewhere. Where?"

"Anywhere but here." James shook his head, as soon as he had been made Head Boy he suddenly had the delusion that he was supposed to be responsible.

"Dad's going to kill you."

"I don't give a fuck." And James gave a groan.

"I'm the one named after the pranksters and you the teacher but you have to be the rebel, don't you?"

"Look. I'm gonna go, whether you like it at not. I told dad I didn't want to sit through _another _family reunion with people getting at me for being a Slytherin." He paused and stared at James, trying to will him to go and let him go and see his friends.

"What if I tell dad?"

"You wouldn't." Albus looked pensive for a moment, "or else I'll tell him that you cheated on your exams last year."

"How did yo-"

"I know everything James." James looked as if he believed him. It wasn't true, he just overheard James bragging about after he came out his Charms exam.

"Fine. Go. I'm only trying to save you from Dads wrath."

"Again. Don't. Give. A. Fuck. We're back to school in two days anyway. There is only so long he can keep me house bound." James sighed and looked around at the corridor they were standing in. The whole thing was painted yellow, from some unfortunate occurrence that happened ages ago- including Lily, a fake lizard and a bucket of yellow paint- when they were younger. It did not go with the rest of the house which had been painted in dark paint, but it had stayed yellow for ever and no one wanted to change it. Albus began walking towards the door, and grabbed his coat from the coat stand that was by it.

"Albus." Albus paused and turned back to him.

"What?"

"Don't be stupid." James said with brotherly affection.

"Like I am ever." He gave a sarcastic smile. "See you later, Golden Boy." And with that opened the door and headed out into the relatively warm summer air, his tall figure disappearing into the night.


	2. Chapter j

Chapter 1

Albus walked for a little bit, through muggle London, and soon enough he found himself outside the entrance from Diagon Alley. All the big wizarding houses had been built near the main wizarding street of London, so it didn't take long to get there, if one _had_ to travel by muggle methods. Once he had gone through the Leaky Caldron, he walked briskly down the street, up towards Grigotts, where used a grabber to get some money. These worked quite simply, insert your bank key into the slot, say how much you wants and a mechanical hand would reach out and give the desired amount of money.

Albus only got out a tiny bit of money, hoping that his friends would be able to pay for the rest. He popped the ten galleons into his pocket and then walked farther down the street, and turned left into a small pub. He waited for a few minutes, tapping his fingers against the table, until a boy with dark hair and blue eyes wondered into the pub, where Albus was sitting.

"Albus!" He exclaimed and walked towards him. "I didn't think you would be able to make it."

"Well, my parents don't know I'm here. But I wasn't going to sit around with a bunch of idiots, discussing Dumbledore, or some crap like that." Albus fished around in his pocket until he pulled something out, it was wrapped in black paper, with a white string, and fit into the palm of his hand. "Anyway, I got you this. Happy birthday."

"Thanks," the boy pulled it from his hand, "it's quite heavy isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Albus lowered his voice, "You might not want to open it in here."

"Why, what is it?"

"It's-" he paused, a man in the corner of the room was looking at him curiously, and as if he was trying to listen in. "Just take my advice." The other boy widened his eyes slightly, and felt the small object, then nodded and put it into his pocket. He then checked his watch.

"The others should be here soon anyway." Albus smiled, glad to be back with his friends, and stood up.

"I'll go and get us a drink then."

* * *

Five firewhiskies later and Albus was drunkenly swaying at the table, with his chin in his hands.

"You know it's not just that my whole family seems to hate me, I just hate the way they act like their shit don't smell you know." His voice rung out across the almost empty pub, and the landlord gave him an odd expression.

"Albus, your family doesn't hate you."

"Rose does." A blonde haired girl shook her head.

"Of course Rose doesn't hate you, she just, er, disagrees with you over somethings." Albus lifted his chin from his hands and then shook his head vigorously.

"She _hates _me. You should see the looks she gives me." The dark haired boy, who he had met up with earlier looked up and then gave Albus a look of despair.

"Come on Albus. Chin up, you'll be seventeen soon, and you can come and live with my family." The boy paused, as if in thought and then his face broke into a mischievous smile. "Do you think they'll let us into Baltic?" The subject change was painfully obvious, but none of the others seemed to notice or if they did, they didn't seem to mind.

"Never!" Albus practically shouted.

"I'm not sure. If we could some how get across the age line..." Suddenly Albus sat bolt upright.

"I remember my uncle telling me that he tried to get across the age line when he was at school, but then, I think he got a beard or s-s-something!" And he collapsed into giggles and slammed his hand against the table.

"Yeah, no offence but they're made by the Ministry Tom." The blonde girl said to the other dark haired boy, "and Albus, I think you should go home."

"Why would I want to go home? I'll be grounded the moment I step in the door." He had recovered briefly from his laughing fit and he could feel himself sobering a bit. "You know what. I need another drink."

"Shotgun not me." Tom said as quick as he could, and the blonde girl -Felicity- nodded in agreement, the other person sitting at the table sighed and got up.

"Good on you Laura!" Albus shouted, attracting more curious stares from the other patrons and the landlord of the pub, and then he turned back to the other two people, "Any reason she is so quiet to-night?"

"Nope." Felicity gave a sigh, "But I think her dad was harsh on her for hanging out with us, he want's to clear the family name or something like that."

"Well, it's hardly as if I have anything bad about me." Albus shot back, "my dad killed Voldemort for Merlin's sake!"

"Yeah, but it's not as if people don't know about your reputation _Asp._" She gave a smirk.

"Fuck off! That was in Second Year. And it was a _joke_!"

"Sure Aspy." Albus pulled out his wand.

"Say that again." He whispered dangerously.

"You wouldn't. The Minist-"

"Fuck the Ministry, they can screw themselves for all I care." He interrupted, Tom shot out his hand and pushed the wand down.

"Don't Albus. You'll be expelled for sure. You can only get off because you're _his_ son so many times."

"They weren't my fault. It was self defence, and the other time I was helping someone." He tensed his arm for a second, as if he were going to raise it up again, but Laura came back just in time with the drinks she had just bought. "Who's the other one for?" He asked her, motioning at the two glasses in her hands.

"Me." She said simply and brought the drink up to her mouth and downed it and then offered him the other.

"Thanks." Quickly, Albus downed the drink, enjoying the burn as it trickled down his throat.

"I still don't know how you two can drink that crap." Tom said as he watched them with disgust.

"It gets you drunk quickly, and doesn't taste too bad after a while." Albus nodded in agreement with the brown eyed girl.

"I guess it's more of an acquired taste." He told Tom.

"And you've only acquired it because you were sneaking it into school since you were about eleven."

"That, my friend, is an exaggeration. I'd be able to drink a lot more if that were the case." There was a comfortable silence and then a young woman walked up to their table holding a cake.

"Ah, it's here finally." Felicity announced and Tom went red.

"You know I hate this kind of stuff."

"It's your sixteenth, one year before you become a man. Come on, you should at least have a birthday cake." She told him, and Albus then began the singing,

"_For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow.  
For he's a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us.  
And so say all of us, and so say all of us.  
__For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow.  
__For he's a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us!_" Albus was drunkenly banging on the table as the singing went on, and although the singing was out of tune, and two of the people singing it behind the others, there was something moving about the moment. They knew their friendship couldn't last the way that it did, not with all the family pressures, whether it was because their families were Light, or Dark, or trying not to appear Dark. There was a feeling in the air that something was going to change, but at the same time, they knew they would have each other to confide in, if something went really wrong.

Just as they had finished, the girl used her wand to set of the sparkler and a great dragon came roaring out of the tube, in a flash of silver, and it flew around the room, and then disappeared with a burst, sending out gold and silver sparks. After the dragon came out, some letters floated out of the tube and they arranged themselves to spell 'Happy Birthday" and slowly faded away into the air.

"Never gets old, does it?" Tom said, then he smiled as he took up the knife and cut down.

"So did you get anything from your family?"

"Yeah my sister got me some books, my dad got me a broomstick and mum got me some new robes and stuff." Tom lived in a massive house, but his family didn't have too much money since quite a lot was confiscated by the Ministry when his father had been arrested, in fact Tom hadn't known his father well for the first twelve years of his life, since he was in Azkaban for most of the year, but was let out, on probation, for two months each year, since his father had been forced to join Voldemort. Tom's grandfather had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and it was unlikely that he was going to ever get out of the prison.

"What type of broomstick?" Felicity asked.

"He gave me his old Firebolt, his father gave it to him when he was my age, so he decided it was time to pass it on."

"Dad would _never_ give us his old firebolt. It's so _unfair_!" Albus told the table.

"Albus, you don't even play Quidditch." Tom said as he was dishing out the cake onto the plates, he tried to hand Albus the first plate, and Albus shook his head.

"It's bad luck. You're supposed to eat the first slice." He took another plate, "however, I'll have this one." And began tucking into it, within a minute it was gone, and there was chocolate smeared around his mouth. "Anyway," he began after he had scoffed the cake down, "I can play Quidditch, I've just never wanted to."

"I bet you're scared of flying." Laura teased him with a smile.

"I'm not. I just don't care about it."

"Liar."

"I can! I tell you what, I will try out for the team this year. And," he continued, "if I get in, you have to pay me seventy-five galleons."

"Albus," she began slowly, "none of us have that type of money."

"Fine. How about forty-five?"

"I still don't have that. I'll pay you thirty."

"Thirty-five."

"Thirty-two." Albus glared at her, it was as much as he was going to get.

"Deal."

"And what if you don't get in?"

"Well I am, so there is no point even discussing the possibility." She stayed silent and Albus relented, "I'll pay you the same."

"Okay." The table fell into silent, until Tom spoke up.

"You're lucky she isn't the Quidditch Captain this year."

"Oh yeah. I didn't think about that..." Albus said in surprise.

"I will be next year."

"Unless Malfoy beats you to it." Albus told her with a smile. "Actually, I tell you what, I'll try for seeker, just to get the bastard out of the position." Laura gave a laugh.

"That would be amazing!" She snorted. "Imagine the look on his face." And Albus gave a hysterical laugh.

"Rose would be devastated."

"Weasley really would be."

"And anything that makes _her_ sad, makes _me _happy." At that comment, the table became silent, until Laura broke it.

"Look, I better get home. Unless we are going to try and get into Baltic, of course."

"I don't know. I don't really fancy going back to school with a beard." Felicity told her.

"Yeah." Albus looked quite put out.

"Why don't you guys have a sense of adventure?" He whined.

"Because we're not Gryffindors."

"Okay, fine. When it's my birthday, we are definitely going to go out." Quite quickly, he tried to push himself up from the table and he sent the chair tumbling down behind him, and was swaying around, "Because I just want to _dance_!" And then he began to move his hips and his body, in something that was supposed to be dancing, but really didn't look like it. The other's looked as if they were going to crack up, and Felicity whispered to Tom.

"He's really drunk isn't he?" Tom gave her a look and then turned to Albus.

"Do you want to come home with me Albus maybe, and then go back to yours in the morning?"

"Why?" He asked, genuinely mystified.

"Because I don't think your father will be all too pleased that you are drunk." Taken aback, he told him.

"I'm not _drunk_. I'm just happy."

"More like schizo." Felicity muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" He asked her.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how I would get home."

"I'm sure they have a floo, or if not, we can find one together." Tom told her.

"Thanks. How are you getting home Laura?"

"I guess I walk, I only live down the road." And with that, the four teenagers walked out of the pub, but not after leaving the money for the cake.

"I didn't even know they did food here." Someone commented as they left.

"It's a _pub_. Not a bar."

* * *

Albus walked drunkenly towards the Leaky Caldron, after he said goodbye to his friends, promising to write (even though he would see them in two days). Diagon Alley was now quiet, since the dark of night had set in, but a few people still remained on the street, either outside of restaurants or spilling out from some of the bars, trying to enjoy the last of the warm nights. It was while he was walking near some of the closed shops that he bumped into someone.

"Sorry." He automatically said, and the person, a man, looked up at him. As they had bumped into each other the hood had come off the other man's head, showing a balding head of hair, and a jagged scar which ran from the top of his head, down the back. Albus had the advantage of being taller than the man, but he could still feel the danger coming off him. And although he was drunk he tried his best to be wary.

"No worries." The man looked him over, and then did a double take, "you're not Harry Potter by any chance."

"No. I just look like him." The man continued to stare at him.

"I know who you are. Your 'is son, aren't you."

"Unfortunately." The fog clouding his mind began to clear, and he soon found himself moving for his wand when the man spoke again.

"Oh. You dun like him then?"

"No. Of course I do. I love him. Now, if you'll let me be on my way." Albus tried to push forwards, past the man, but the man wouldn't move, and he moved his head close towards Albus and whispered in his ear.

"You shouldn't be wondering around by yourself at this time o'night, you never know who you migh' bump into."

"I'll keep that in mind." He replied smoothly. "Now, let me go past please."

"Or what?"

"I curse you from here to oblivion."

"Really?" The man raised an eyebrow. "And how do you think you'll do that?" And in a move that was intentional, but was designed to pretend it wasn't, the man lifted up the sleeve on his left arm by pretending to itch it, and showed Albus a dark, bruise like mark on his arm. Now, Albus wasn't stupid. His father had told them what that meant when all his children we very young, and although he wanted to run off, like he had been told to do, his pride wouldn't allow it.

"Honestly. Do you think showing me a pretty bruise will scare me off?"

"I've no idea what your talkin' abou'." But his eyes told the truth.

"Look. I have no problem with you. I'm not my father. Now, I'll ask you for the last time, step aside, otherwise I will have one." The man gave him a glare and moved away. "Don't judge me by my family, ok?" He shouted at him over his shoulder, and then Albus pulled up his hood and walked away from the man, his wand hand still tensed. And as he moved farther away from the man, he began to loudly hum a joyful tune, but not without turning back one more time to check the man had walked on.

* * *

It didn't take him a long time to get home, and soon he was standing at the entrance to his house, ringing the door bell. He could hear that someone was coming down the stairs, from the loud thumping noises, and soon enough the door opened, showing Lily.

"Hey." He said as he walked inside, throwing his cloak on the stand.

"Where have you been? Dad's going mental."

"Nowhere you need to know about," and he gave her a pat on her head. "Have you got any gum on you?"

"Yeah," she pulled out a stick of gum from her pocket and he gratefully took it from her. "You haven't been drinking?" He didn't reply, but gave her a quick nod.

"Don't tell anyone."

"I won't." She then walked off, leaving me standing there alone, waiting for my father. He briefly deliberated over going to bed, and dealing with it in the morning, but before he could reach a decision, he heard them coming down the creaky stairs. His mother and father walked down, both dressed in dressing gowns, and Albus looked at the clock. It was already one o'clock in the morning.

"You haven't been _waiting_ for me, have you?" He asked, in mock sincerity.

"No. We haven't." His father replied, his voice in a monotone.

"Lily had to wait up to let you in."

"That's kind of her."

"No it's not. It's inconsiderate of you, she has school in two days, and so do you. Yet, you're making her wait up for you." Angrily, Harry moved towards his son, while Ginny waited behind. "Where were you?"

"Diagon Alley."

"Why?" He demanded, he was so close now that Albus could feel his hot breath on the side of his cheek and he stepped backwards.

"It was my friends birthday."

"It was our family reunion!" Ginny told him.

"I don't want to be there, while some idiots talk about people I don't know, or things I'm not interested in, or places I have never gone nor ever want to! And anyway," he continued, "you let James miss it last year."

"We had agreed it with him." Albus clenched his fists.

"Yeah, well if I had ever asked you, you would have never let me."

"Of course we would have."

"Just admit it, you're fucking biased against me! You just can't stand who my friends are, but it's okay if Rose is best friends with that bastard Malfo-"

"She isn't our child. And no, I don't think that hanging out with the people whose parents wanted me dead is a good idea."

"Yeah, well they're nice people. They're friendly, funny and they make me feel good about myself, because you both make me feel like a sack of shit most the time!" He shouted at them. "And it's not even that, you think they're going to make me go Dark, or some crap like that, but if I went Dark it would be because of you. I've seen the Light side, and you know what, you're all hypocrites, spouting your crap about love and peace, but you wouldn't hesitate to throw seventeen year olds into gaol, for being forced to join a Dark Lord!" Albus stood there panting, while they stood in silence.

"But this change in you is-" he interrupted his mother before she could say anymore. And when he spoke again it was in a much quieter voice.

"Their fault? Is that what you were going to say?" A burst of laughter escaped his lips. "No. It's your fault. Because you can't accept me for who I am."

"I can!"

"Just leave me alone!" He roared, any attempt at restraining his anger forgot. "I like my friends, and if you don't, just fuck off!"

"Don't use that type of language with me."

"Try and stop me." His father, who had been quiet for a bit, then interrupted them.

"Look, we're not going to help the situation here, we're just going to wake up everyone else. Ginny why don't you make sure that Lily is in bed, and I'll talk with Albus." Angrily, Ginny agreed, knowing that she _was _just making the situation worse, and she turned around from her son and her husband, and walked up the stairs, while Harry moved into the living room, but not before indicating that his son should follow. Albus moved from the light hall, into the dark room, and waited for his father to light the candles, which he did with a wave of his wand. As the room brightened up, it revealed a medium sized room, with old sofas positioned around it, and at the end of it there was a chimneypiece , with the Black family crest above it, and to the side of it, there was a piano. Harry moved to sit down on one of the many sofas, and Albus settled on another. Once they had both sat down, they began.

"I know your mother seems like she's not showing it, but she does love you." Albus snorted.

"Good for her."

"And I know, deep down you love her too." At the look on Albus' face, Harry continued. "Regardless of that, I want you to know that, yes, we do worry about your friends. Not because of them, but their family. I don't want you to be betrayed by them," Albus opened his mouth to protest this, but his father go in before him, "I don't think they would, if it were up to them. And I know you have been drinking to-night, and that's when you're most vulnerable."

"Me? Drinking? _Never!_" He said dramatically. "Look. I know you don't like them. But they are my friends. And if they ever tried to betray me, they would be hexed before they even knew it."

"Well, we have to let you make some decisions for yourself. But, I'm not going to let you go out because you didn't ask."

"Because you wouldn't have let me!" Harry ignored the comment.

"And for the drinking you are going to be cleaning up my office to-morrow. You know I don't care, that much, but your mother does."

"I wasn't drinking!"

"I can see you're drunk, I'm not an idiot." Albus had no response, and there wasn't really anything he could do to get his father not to make him clean his office. "Now go to sleep before she comes back down."

Albus rolled his green eyes, and stood up from the sofa, where he walked out of the room, not even bothering to reply to the goodnight his father offered. As quietly as he could, he trudged his way up the creaky stairs, and into a door where there were two signs on it. One said, 'Regulus Arcturus Black' and the one below it, 'Albus Serverus Potter', the light was still on in Lily's room and he could hear his mother's voice coming from it, and so he tried to subtly open the door, so as to not alert his mother to his presence upstairs and also so Mrs Black wouldn't give him away. Mercifully she had stayed silent in his shouting match with his mother, because once she started, she wouldn't stop for the whole night.

When he got into his room, which still had Slytherin green wall paper, and green and silver curtains from it's previous owner, he didn't even bother to change out of his clothes, but took of his trousers, keeping his shirt and boxers on, and as quick as he could rushed towards the bed, where he collapsed in slumber.

* * *

_Soo, I know I said on my profile I would probably never update this, but I was recently reading some Slytherin!Albus stories, and wanted to write one and was then like "You already have one you idiot!" But I actually have the storyline of this one all written out, so maybe I will finish it? Also, ahh, GCSE results to-morrow, I'm so scared XD Thanks for the story alerts, and I hope that you will take the time to review :) _


End file.
